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Keep up with what’s happening at Harrisonburg Economic Development and all around the city. Check back often for updates.

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HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA (April 10, 2017) — Last Friday, the city of Harrisonburg’s Department of Economic Development (HED) hosted a cybersecurity forum in partnership with James Madison University’s Department of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics (CIS&BSAN). HED was seeking industry input on the cybersecurity eco-system and assets necessary to grow the sector in the city. The forum, dubbed Cybersecurity Cafe, was facilitated by Chris Stammer of Voluminant.

The day-long, robust discussion provided feedback to HED on how best to position the city to attract and grow cybersecurity companies. The discussion included the infrastructure needs, workforce credential needs and student education needs of industry, as well as potential economic development incentives and best marketing practices to build a successful cybersecurity eco-system.

The forum provided action steps and agreements for continued partnerships for the future. The action steps compiled during the day will form the critical components of the city’s strategic plan to grow the cybersecurity sector in Harrisonburg.

"Harrisonburg provides an ideal context for the highly technical work we perform for the U.S. Government. We are ideally located next to many excellent colleges and universities, which provide exceptional talent, and close enough to DC and Northern Virginia that we can conveniently interface with our customer and partners. To me, it comes down to quality of life. Our employees have very short commutes and there are a plethora of activities in the area that suit almost every interest."

--Michael Goertzen, Senior Program Manager, Serco

2016-09-01T13:33:27+00:00

--Michael Goertzen, Senior Program Manager, Serco

"Harrisonburg provides an ideal context for the highly technical work we perform for the U.S. Government. We are ideally located next to many excellent colleges and universities, which provide exceptional talent, and close enough to DC and Northern Virginia that we can conveniently interface with our customer and partners. To me, it comes down to quality of life. Our employees have very short commutes and there are a plethora of activities in the area that suit almost every interest."

http://harrisonburgdevelopment.com/testimonials/2639/

"As Rocco considered options for our expansion, we were pleased with the partnership that Harrisonburg Economic Development provided as we worked our way through plan reviews, permit approvals, and inspections. It was helpful to have an ombudsman guiding us through the process. We are excited that we have the opportunity to continue to grow and invest in Harrisonburg."

-- Fontaine Canada, President, Rocco Building Supplies

2016-07-01T14:10:24+00:00

-- Fontaine Canada, President, Rocco Building Supplies

"As Rocco considered options for our expansion, we were pleased with the partnership that Harrisonburg Economic Development provided as we worked our way through plan reviews, permit approvals, and inspections. It was helpful to have an ombudsman guiding us through the process. We are excited that we have the opportunity to continue to grow and invest in Harrisonburg."

"We are grateful for the opportunity to develop our innovative artificial intelligence solutions in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The strategic location we have here in Harrisonburg allows us to bridge an alliance with other high tech communities within the region. We are honored to work with this incredible team of professionals and look forward to partnering with the local business community and academic institutions as we expand our operations.”

-- Sven Brueckner, CTO, Convergent AI, Inc.

2016-07-07T18:22:53+00:00

-- Sven Brueckner, CTO, Convergent AI, Inc.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to develop our innovative artificial intelligence solutions in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The strategic location we have here in Harrisonburg allows us to bridge an alliance with other high tech communities within the region. We are honored to work with this incredible team of professionals and look forward to partnering with the local business community and academic institutions as we expand our operations.”